OAL The Chinese University of Hong Kong eNewsletter

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is committed to strengthening collaborations and establishing linkages with institutions around the world to support its staff and students in the pursuit of excellence in their field of research and learning. This is exemplified by the Vice-Chancellor's recent visits to the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Sussex, the University's engagement in the Worldwide Universities Network, and the new funding schemes to support faculty exchange and research collaboration with overseas institutions.

Vice-Chancellor visits Universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Sussex

Prof. Joseph Sung, Vice-Chancellor and President, led a delegation to UK during 27-29 March 2014 to deepen ties with the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford, and Sussex. The delegation included Prof. Fok Tai-fai, Pro-Vice-Chancellor; Prof. Sian Griffiths, Special Adviser (International Academic Development); and Prof. Justin Wu, Associate Dean of Medicine (Clinical).

CUHK and Cambridge have established partnership in different areas, including student exchange and research collaborations in autism, public health, and earth sciences. During the visit, the CUHK delegation met with Prof. Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Vice-Chancellor, and representatives from Newnham College, Murray Edwards College, Selwyn College, and Jesus College to discuss a partnership in CUHK's Global Physician-Leadership Stream in the MBChB Programme.

CUHK and Oxford have over the years engaged in scholarly exchange through faculty and students and forged partnerships in various domains, including public health, disaster management, Chinese studies, Hindu studies, medicine, and law. The two universities have continued to look for ways to deepen their ties and most recently, when Prof. Joseph Sung visited St Anne's College and St Hugh's College at Oxford, the two colleges have expressed interests in welcoming CUHK's medical students admitted to postgraduate studies or research attachments at Oxford. Furthermore, with the Oxford China Centre moving into a permanent site on the campus of St Hugh's College this year, it is anticipated that closer collaborations in Chinese studies will be undertaken with CUHK.

CUHK and Sussex have identified strong synergy in the area of neuroscience. While Sussex recently launched a major initiative to reinforce neuroscience research across the campus, CUHK has recently developed an interdisciplinary group for the BRAIN (Brain Research and Innovative Neuroscience) initiative housed under the Lui Che Woo Institute of Innovative Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine. The Institute will explore innovative methods of diagnosis and treatment though a cross-disciplinary approach. Building on this momentum, the two universities agreed to build a close collaboration and will hold an annual workshop in neuroscience. Currently, Sussex and CUHK have agreements in place for academic collaboration and undergraduate student exchange. The two universities have a long history of connections, dating back to CUHK's formation 50 years ago when Lord (John) Fulton, Sussex's founding Vice-Chancellor, chaired a commission that recommended to the government on the creation of a new Chinese University.

Bilateral Teaching Exchange Programme opens for applications

The Bilateral Teaching Exchange Programme now accepts applications on a year-round basis. Individual faculty members at CUHK are encouraged to make use of this programme and actively seek teaching exchange opportunities. No exchange agreement is needed with the counterpart's home institution in order to engage in this programme.

Under the programme, a faculty member at CUHK will invite his/her counterpart from an equivalent department/school at an overseas university to serve as his/her partner to teach at least one UGC-funded undergraduate or research postgraduate course and undertake research for one term at CUHK. In return, the CUHK faculty member will undertake at least one teaching course and conduct research at the host university for one term.

The faculty members on exchange will continue to receive their salary from the home university and will not receive any remuneration from the host university. Faculty members at CUHK can continue to enjoy their allowance/benefits while on exchange and they should enquire with the home department and faculty for funding to support the inbound visiting faculty member's stay at CUHK. Inbound visiting faculty members are expected to bear their own airfare and accommodation cost for the exchange. The incumbents could also seek financial support from their home university.

To view the application guidelines and other information about the programme, please click HERE.

Eighteen awards granted under the International Partnerships Development Programme for 2013–14

CUHK launched the Programme to promote the development of partnerships by supporting outbound visits initiated by individual faculty members and their academic units concerned to pursue collaborations with partners identified by the University. Eighteen awards have been granted under the Programme for 2013–14.

With the support of the Programme, the awarded faculty members will undertake visits of up to seven days at a number of top institutions around the world, including Brown University, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Utrecht University, University of Toronto and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. To view the list of awardees for 2013–14, please click HERE.

The Programme will call for applications for 2014–15 in May. For more details, please visit OAL's website by clicking HERE.

Some 40 awards offered for 2014–15 to support student mobility between CUHK and leading research institutions

CUHK offers abundant opportunities for research students to learn from eminent researchers worldwide. Some 40 awards have been made under the Global Scholarship Programme for Research Excellence and PhD Student Exchange Programmes for 2014–15. The largest contingent of applications came from the Faculty of Social Science, followed by the Faculties of Arts and Medicine. In addition, four applications were received from visiting PhD students.

With the support of the Global Scholarship Programme, CUHK award holders will undertake research attachments of three to six months with researchers and scholars at top institutions around the world, including Harvard University, California Institute of Technology, University of Oxford, Utrecht University, the Pennsylvania State University and ETH Zurich.

With the support of the PhD Student Exchange Programmes, the awarded PhD students will undertake research attachments of one to six months at Brown University, University of Leeds, University of Bristol and Karolinska Institutet under the supervision of a host supervisor.

To view the list of awardees of the Programmes for 2014–15, please click HERE.